On the fiery red liquid, lay the corpse of a large juvenile beast, about one or two zhang in length.
This juvenile beast had the body of a horse with qilin-like feet, resembling a lion, with pure red fur. Though only a juvenile, its sizable body appeared majestic and ferocious.
However, the beast’s head had been devoured, with several rows of teeth marks at the severed neck. The ghastly red blood mingled with the fiery red liquid.
Beside the juvenile beast’s corpse stood a spirit beast, three zhang tall, one or two zhang thick, and two or three zhang long.
This spirit beast had a body like a rhinoceros yet resembled a pig, covered in coarse hair, white in the middle with black on both sides, its snout protruding forward. Its body bore several striking wounds, countless smaller injuries, and was drenched in blood, its aura weak.
Clearly, this was the seventh-tier primary spirit beast, the rhinoceros tapir, previously injured by Ming Luo and others.
The corpse of the juvenile beast beside it was none other than the legendary descendant of the ancient ferocious beast, the red pixiu juvenile.
It was evident that the red pixiu juvenile’s head had been bitten off by this seventh-tier primary spirit beast, the rhinoceros tapir.
For the rhinoceros tapir’s mouth was stained with ghastly red blood, with traces still dripping.
The rhinoceros tapir’s gaze was fiercely fixed on one of the surrounding figures, Ming Luo, its eyes burning with a desire to devour him.
“You beast, didn’t you flee for your life? How dare you return?” Seeing the red pixiu juvenile killed, Ming Luo cursed in extreme anger.
Earlier, the three of them had battled this seventh-tier primary spirit beast, the rhinoceros tapir. After Ming Luo used his most powerful trump card, an attack talisman, they severely wounded the beast, chased it for a thousand miles, and left it on the brink of death. It had desperately fled.
They thought the rhinoceros tapir wouldn’t dare return, or lacked the strength to do so, and had confidently prepared to deal with Elder Zhou of the Lingjian Sect.
Yet, after battling the Zhengxiu Alliance for over an hour, this rhinoceros tapir returned and even ate the red pixiu juvenile.
In other words, their entire mission was for nothing.
Ming Luo was furious at the thought. This was the descendant of an ancient ferocious beast, a rare sight in a thousand years, and it had been killed.
However, the rhinoceros tapir was even more enraged. Its mouth moved, and it coldly spoke in a woman’s voice, “Hmph, you despicable humans! Wanting to take the red pixiu juvenile? I’ll never let you succeed!”
A seventh-tier spirit beast could not only speak human words but could even take human form if it wished.
Even without a human face, everyone present could feel the rhinoceros tapir’s resentment.
Its hatred for humans was bone-deep.
“When I found the red pixiu juvenile, it was already injured. Over the years, to heal it, I searched countless places, fought numerous seventh-tier spirit beasts, nearly died several times, and finally found the fire vine sap to heal its wounds. Yet you despicable humans tried to steal it!”
The rhinoceros tapir glared furiously, “The red pixiu juvenile is like my own child to me. You tried to steal my child, harm my child. Even if I had to eat it, I wouldn’t let you succeed!”
“You!” Ming Luo was livid, “You call it your child, yet you ate it. How could you do such a thing!”
Lin Xiao was stunned. As the saying goes, even a tiger doesn’t eat its cubs, yet this rhinoceros tapir devoured its “child.”
The mindset of this spirit beast was truly shocking.
However, Lin Xiao didn’t dare judge the rhinoceros tapir’s actions outright.
The rhinoceros tapir had spent countless time and effort, searching for rare treasures, nearly dying for the red pixiu juvenile, only for it to be taken by humans. In its extreme resentment, it was understandable that it did something extreme.
To humans, this might be seen as twisted.
But for a spirit beast, it might be a form of love.
To prevent its child from being taken and humiliated or killed by humans, it would rather let it die by its own hands, even consume it. Who could say this wasn’t a spirit beast’s expression of deep love?
After all, spirit beasts’ ways of survival and expressions of love and hate differ from humans’.
Humans simply couldn’t accept or understand it.
Right and wrong were hard to discern.
The Martial Emperors present naturally wouldn’t bother with the spirit beast’s right or wrong.
Many things didn’t need to be judged as right or wrong. For them, such distinctions were meaningless. They cared about benefits.
Lin Xiao was the same. It wasn’t that he was opportunistic, but the spirit beast’s right or wrong was irrelevant to him.
Still, anger was inevitable. The rhinoceros tapir’s actions enraged everyone present, including Lin Xiao. If the red pixiu juvenile had grown, its strength would have been immense.
Now it was eaten, and the loss of such a rare opportunity was deeply regrettable.
Since the red pixiu juvenile was dead, the most valuable thing now was likely the spirit core of this seventh-tier primary rhinoceros tapir.
In its current weakened state, it probably had only death awaiting it.
Right or wrong, it was doomed.
“Hmph, you humans are truly despicable. You killed my child and now slander me!”
The rhinoceros tapir roared coldly, “Since I dared to return, I’m not afraid of death. Now, I’ll make you all join my child in death!!!”
With that, a terrifying aura erupted from the rhinoceros tapir.
“Not good, it’s going to self-destruct!”
Ling Xiao and the Evil Sect Leader shouted, and the group quickly retreated.
Similar to a Martial Emperor self-destructing their dantian, a spirit beast self-destructs its spirit core. The energy in a seventh-tier primary spirit beast’s core surpassed even a third-level Martial Emperor’s dantian.
With their cultivation, the highest being only third-level Martial Emperor, how could they withstand a seventh-tier primary spirit beast’s self-destruction?
Moreover, given the beast’s injuries and emotions, it had clearly prepared to die, waiting to take them down with it.
Thus, the group was terrified, not daring to hesitate, and retreated at top speed.
However, Lin Xiao didn’t retreat. Instead, he charged toward the rhinoceros tapir at full speed.
Ling Xiao was shocked, his face showing deep concern.
Lin Xiao’s charge was surely to kill the beast before it could self-destruct.
But the beast was already prepared to self-destruct. How could Lin Xiao possibly make it in time?
Rushing in like this was simply suicide!
Fu Yan, the Evil Sect Leader, and the Demon Sect’s Great Elder, while retreating, were stunned by the sight. They couldn’t fathom why Lin Xiao would charge so recklessly.
And just as they were still processing this, a shocking scene unfolded.
